,,,like this types of cruise,,,went on Regent,,,and paid NOTHING,,at end of it...so nice,,can really KNOW what cruise will cost....going on Seabourn,,,same thing,,,ex.for excursions,,,,but can limit what you take ahead of time....hate to be "nickled and dimed"..then you can get discounts if you don t use air,hotel,,etc....love it.......plus,smaller ships,,,good food and service ,,and less crowding.....SO worth it.....

I am really excited by this news. Crystal Cruises plans to move to the 'all-inclusive' category next spring. Read more here.

I like this idea, too. Crystal has had a promotion for the last couple of years where they give you between $500-$1000 per person onboard credit, meant to spend "as you wish" on drinks, tips, shore excursions, etc. Having drinks and tips be included in the price seems a more appealing way to go, if other upscale cruise lines like Regent and Silversea are an example. Regent currently is also including shore excursions.

It's not for this year, trust me. It's for December of 2012. If you pay it off by May of 2012, you can receive an additional 2.5%. It's not that bad of a price when you throw in air, but I have to convince my hubby to let me use his credit card for the deposit. Mine just don't have enough room on them right now. This ought to be interesting and I doubt he'll go for it. Even if I pay it off.

I tried, but my hubby wouldn't go for it. He's too worried about funding since he's a contractor for the army. Just an FYI, the air fare really isn't free. They added $1,000/pp to the cruise fare, which was still better than any air fare I could find. Maybe if I had booked a suite it would have been free? This is mainly for Dave, they add an additional $199/pp if you fly out of Huntsville. The 1k/pp was out of Atlanta. I was only booking a balcony.

You're right that the cruise lines should say air is "included" and not "free."

The good news is that they give you the $1000 off the price if you don't use their airfare. If the air were really "free," the cruise lines would keep the price the way it's published, whether or not you use their airfare. At least this way, you get back the "air allowance" if you don't use it.

The larger ships are more than just more passengers, they also have more space for public rooms and other passenger areas. Crystal has the included Nobu supervised restaurant as well as a sushi bar and equal quality Italian restaurant, a large internet cafe in addition to classroom full of computers, and possibly more rooms with different types of entertainment, afternoon tea, dancing, etc.

The value of a cruise is really a personal perception. I haven't seen bathrooms in standard cabins that are bigger than Regent's, for example, and Seabourn's included caviar service is to die for. The important thing to figure out is what makes a cruise a good value for you. If you enjoyed the size of the ship and passenger capacity on Regent and Seabourn, that may tell you that those ships are a better fit than Crystal would be.